1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a computer-implemented method, system and program product for determining a message quantity for computer program code. Specifically, the present invention provides uniformity in determining the quantity and types of messages that are needed to adequately support computer program code.
2. Related Art
As computers continue to become more integrated in everyday life, computer software continues to become more sophisticated. For example, today a computer user can prepare a tax return, pay bills, purchase goods or services, etc., from the comfort of his/her personal computer. Such convenience is provided by various software packages. To this extent, computer program developers are constantly working to improve existing products, or introduce new products to the market.
In developing program code, a developer will typically include certain “messages” designed to support the product for the end-user. Typical messages that can be provided include error messages, warning messages and information messages. Although each of these messages serves a different purpose, they are usually necessary to fully support the program code being developed. Unfortunately, there is currently no uniformity in determining the quantity and types of messages that should be developed for computer program code. For example, within a single piece of program code, one properties file could contain 10 messages, while another could contain over 100. No one really knows what the correct quantity of messages should be, much less, what types of messages should be provided to support a certain amount of program code.
As a result of this disparity, program integrated information (PII) counts are usually inaccurate and highly inflated to try to accommodate some unknown number. This is especially problematic since translation between languages is often necessary for a program. Specifically, it is common for a software product to be made available in multiple countries/regions of the world. As such, lingual translation of interfaces, messages and the like is necessary. The more messages that are utilized to support a program, the greater the translation costs. Thus, with no real control or uniformity over message development, translation costs for a program can be substantial and unpredictable.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a computer-implemented method, system and program product for determining a message quantity for computer program code. Specifically, a need exists for a system that can analyze computer program code and determine whether messages are needed (to support the computer program code). A further need exists for the system to be able to uniquely format different sections of the computer program code based on the message types corresponding thereto. A further need exists for a quantity to be determined for each message type that is determined to be needed for the computer program code.